Kuwait Foreign Minister Sheikh Salem Abdullah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah delivered a speech to the third session of the Arab-Japan Political Dialogue Forum, hosted by the Arab League on Tuesday.
The ministerial session, co-chaired by Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, from the Arab side, and Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi, was attended by the League’s Secretary-General Ahmad Abul-Gheit.
In his speech to the gathering, Sheikh Salem said the Arab countries and Japan maintained friendly relations, fruitful cooperation and constructive understanding in various fields.
Japan continues to be one of the strong supporters of fair causes of the Arab world thanks to the common grounds and shared values of respect for the rules of the international law, non- interference in the domestic affairs of other nations and prioritizing peaceful dialogue as a means of resolving conflicts, he said.
“The state of Kuwait and friendly Japan enjoy deep-rooted friendship and a long history of cooperation dating back to the era before founding the diplomatic relations in 1962. “On this occasion, I’d like to express great esteem for the relationship with Japan which bore fruit in such areas as investment, trade and energy,” Sheikh Salem, who leads Kuwait delegation to the meeting, pointed out.
He noted that Kuwait is the third largest exporter of oil to Japan, voicing hope for building on the past achievements and promoting the relations even further. The Kuwaiti minister noted that the ongoing meeting coincided with exceptional global conditions which require strengthening the relations between both sides to contribute to the world peace and security and achieve sustainable development.
He stressed the need of joint efforts by the Arab and Japanese sides to address the current political and economic challenges of today’s world. He reaffirmed Kuwait’s commitment to supporting the Palestine question and the efforts to find a fair, durable and comprehensive solution to this question based on the Arab peace initiative and the Japanese vision for “Corridor for Peace and Prosperity.” Speaking highly of the Japanese initiative for co-existence between Palestine and Israel, Sheikh Salem called on Japan to continue praiseworthy efforts in this regard.
Concluding his speech, the minister voiced hope that the minister-level meetings between the Arab countries and Japan would provide a platform for closer relationship and more constructive cooperation that could better serve the interests of both sides. The ministerial meeting explored ways to strengthen cooperation between both sides in the political, economic, cultural, educational, environmental and energy areas based on the memorandum of understanding signed by the Arab League and Japan in 2013.
After reviewing a range of regional and international issues as well as the efforts to address the common challenges, the ministers expressed hope that the coming session of the Arab-Japan Economic Dialogue Forum, to be hosted by Japan next year, would take the relationship to a higher level. – KUNA
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